Mike Bayles Poet Narrative

making rice

a little rice
a little water
time to boil
and start
the meal

I doze off
dog at my side

smoke fills
the house
smoke alarm
screams

the dog quivers

time
to open windows
turn on fans
erase signs
of my mistake

on a bright
summer day

sit outside
holding the dog
until the air clears

one blast
of siren
if in town

two
if out of town

I hope
no one notices
the smoke alarm

o how people [in a small town] can talk

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Andrea Dietrich June 5, 2026 at 11:46 AM Haha. I have done this minus fire alarm because I did not have alarm. A few times I was warned I had boiled the water out of my egg water because the scorched egg shells exploded yolks all over my stove and ceiling!!!

Kim Rodrigues June 1, 2026 at 8:49 AM Never doze, set alarms, be vigilant! Last line of sly humor. I love the imagery of the dog by your side. Many many years ago, I left a pot boiling in the house, while talking to a neighbor. Same…save…thank the Lord!